


Almost There

by HardNoctLife



Series: IgNoct Week 2019 - HardNoctLife [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Confessions, Conversations, Feelings Realization, Getting Together, Habits, Ignoct Week, Ignoct Week 2019, Implied Sexual Content, Late Night Conversations, M/M, One Shot, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, in the car
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-31 08:22:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20112067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HardNoctLife/pseuds/HardNoctLife
Summary: For IgNoct Week Day 3: “Habits/Quirks”One late night in the Regalia, Ignis and Noctis discuss the advisor's habits.Noctis discovers that Ignis really is practically perfect in every way.





	Almost There

The car slowed to a complete stop, blinker flashing bright yellow in the dark. _One, two, three._ The driver looked left, then right, then left again before turning, the engine purring as they pressed on the gas pedal.

Gladio Amicitia and Prompto Argentum were slumped together in the back of the Regalia, heads lolling on the headrests in sleep, but Noctis was wide awake in the passenger seat. The prince leaned against the window, chin perched on one fist as he gazed into the night, the dark landscape speeding by in a blur.

“You don’t have to stop when there’s no one around,” he said, commenting on the overly careful driving.

Ignis, sipping from the bottle of open Ebony in his cup holder, hummed in disapproval.

“Safety first, Noct.”

“Do you always follow every rule?” Noctis prodded with amusement. He pulled up on the handle by his side to recline the seat back with a sigh, closing his eyes.

“The rules are in place for a reason,” his advisor insisted. Noctis peeked one eye open to peer at Ignis. He was sitting perfectly straight, both hands on the wheel as he stared ahead, the Regalia swaying gently with the slightest change in his steering.

“You _always_ wear your seatbelt?”

“Yes—as should you.”

“I’m careful,” Noctis insisted.

“I’ll be sure to remind you of that when I’m peeling you off the pavement,” Ignis retorted dryly, and Noctis chuckled good-naturedly.

“I don’t need a seatbelt when you drive like a grandma,” the prince shot back. For a moment, neither of them spoke, listening to the hum of the vehicle as it sped down the empty road. 

“You wash your hands every time you use the bathroom?”

“You _don’t_?” Ignis actually looked over in alarm, eyebrows shooting into his hairline.

“Of _course_ I do!” There was a pause. Then, quietly: “Sometimes I forget.”

“_Highness.” _Ignis tsked, then laughed as there was a snore from behind them. Looking in the rearview, he saw that Prompto had rolled onto Gladio’s chest, both of their mouths slack jawed.

“You need to relax, Specs. You know, leave the dishes in the sink every once in a while.” Ignis’s nose scrunched in dismay.

“And allow to bacteria to grow and fester? I think not. What if you got sick? Besides, it’s not as if _you_ would do them.” The prince grimaced.

“That’s not the point here.”

“And what, pray tell, _is_ the point?”

“Just…_live_ a little.” Curiosity getting the best of him, Noctis placed his hands behind his head as he spoke. “Do you make your bed every time you wake up?”

“Certainly. Cleanliness is close to godliness, or so they say.”

“Who’s _they_?” Noctis groaned. “I’d rather just stay in bed. Solves the problem of making it.”

“I’m aware.” Ignis’s lips were twitching up at the edges, amused. Noctis felt his face flush and he lowered his voice in spite of the fact that neither of their friends showed any signs of stirring.

“You don’t have to eat right, _and_ get eight hours of sleep, _and_ keep the entire house clean, _and_ complete everything on your to-do list all in one day. You’re human too, you know.” Noctis was adamant, but Ignis looked unfazed, shaking his head.

“On the contrary, I am your advisor. It’s my duty.”

Noctis gaped up at him in disbelief.

“You never just…_don’t_ go grocery shopping and eat takeout for a week instead?”

“Surely you know me better than that,” Ignis chided. Noctis did—which meant he knew the answer to his own question.

“Do you do _anything_ wrong, Specs?”

“Come now, I’m nothing special. Don’t mistake my organization for perfection.” Despite Ignis’s humility, Noctis scowled, not convinced.

He paused, thinking.

“I bet it bends.”

The Regalia jerked suddenly to the right, the two sleeping passengers shifting over and pressing into the window. There was a long pause.

“Pardon?” Ignis’s hand gripped the steering wheel.

Noctis’s tone remained low, but was more mischievous this time.

“I bet it bends. Y’know, has a little kink in it. Are you overcompensating for something, or—” Ignis cleared his throat and the car began to slow. Noctis pressed himself up, looking around in confusion as they came to a stuttered stop in the middle of the road where a single lonely streetlamp made a halo on the pavement. There was no other light for miles in any direction. They were truly in the middle of nowhere. 

Putting the Regalia in park, he shut off the ignition, the sudden absence of noise deafening. Ignis turned in his seat to face Noctis, fixing him with a steely gaze. The prince gulped, opening his mouth to apologize, when—

“Would you care to find out?”

The question was spoken carefully, in a deep and even tenor, and Noctis’s breath caught. His pulse began to race, and he could hear it in his ears, pounding like a bass drum.

It was the last thing he expected, and his thoughts galloped against the backdrop of an uneven sequence of snores from Gladio behind him. The prince’s palms had gone sweaty as his mouth struggled to form words. All the while, Ignis continued to watch the prince, expectant.

The advisor opened the door, unbuckling his seatbelt before stepping smoothly into the night. He glanced down at his watch. “Well? You said to live a little. Five minutes. If you do not join me, we can continue on to Lestallum and forget this conversation ever happened.” Noctis stared up at his advisor in wonder, thinking he must be dreaming. He blinked rapidly as the man turned and walked away, disappearing past the circle of light on the concrete and over the metal barrier into the woods.

After a split second of hesitation, the prince fumbled to unlock his door, nearly falling out in his haste to open it. Scrambling to his feet, Noctis hurried after Ignis, casting a nervous glance back at the Regalia as he followed the man into the night.

* * *

The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon, and Ignis had one arm held out the open window, a cigarette in hand. He flicked the ashes away before taking a long drag, blowing smoke into the breeze so that it carried off and into the rapidly receding countryside.

“I must apologize, it seems I do have one bad habit. When it comes to you, I am utterly weak. My selfishness led me to act irrationally.” There was an undertone of apology when Ignis spoke. 

Noctis had his feet up on the dash, seatbelt unbuckled. For once, Ignis hadn’t protested.

“C’mon Iggy, having a cigarette every once in a while hardly counts as a bad habit,” Noctis murmured drowsily, deflecting the man’s confession. His body felt loose and languid, sore in all the right places, but he hadn’t been able to sleep—he was too busy watching Ignis. Gladio and Prompto had slept through the night, none the wiser for their pit stop, and the prince was grateful for the extra time to recalibrate his thoughts and emotions.

Ignis deliberated, then decided not to press the issue. It could wait for another time. “I only ever crave it after a _certain_ activity,” he explained. 

A lazy smirk wound its way across Noctis’s mouth.

“Damn, and here I thought there had to be something wrong with you—but you really are perfect.” Ignis shook his head.

“I live to serve, Your Highness. Hopefully recent events won’t change that.”

“Well—job well done, Iggy.” Noctis groaned gratefully, his words holding double meaning. “I’d say you served me just fine, like always.” When Ignis reached over the center console for Noctis’s hand, the prince laced their fingers shyly and squeezed. “Don’t feel bad. You’re not the only one who was selfish. After all, you gave me the choice.”

Ignis’s eyes fluttered over to the prince briefly before returning to the road.

“If you’re a bad habit, I’m addicted—and I have no plans of quitting,” Noctis murmured softly, emphasizing his statement with another squeeze of the man’s hand.

Ignis smiled, shoulders relaxing from where they had bunched at his ears. It wasn’t that he regretted what they had done, but it was in his job description to consider every detail when it came to Noctis’s welfare. He only hoped he hadn’t made a mistake in acting on his feelings. 

There was a sudden shifting in the cab, followed by an exaggerated yawn from the backseat. Prompto, shuddering awake, looked around, squinting into the rising sun coming through the windshield.

“…are we there yet?” the blond muttered, stretching his arms above his head. Noctis bit back a snort as he caught sight of his friend’s bedhead in the mirror.

“Not quite,” Ignis answered.

Ignis and Noctis shared a knowing look, both of them thinking back to a couple hours earlier.

_Are you—_

_—not quite—_

_Ah—_

_—gods, _there_, Ignis—_

_Here, love?_

_Yes—!_

“Soon?” Prompto wondered as he settled back down, eyes half-lidded.

“Soon,” Noctis agreed, subtly pulling his hand back into his lap. Ignis placed his back on the wheel, smile spreading from ear-to-ear.

“Very soon.”

**Author's Note:**

> I thought about detailing the IgNoct sex scene, but I think I'll let everyone's imaginations run wild instead.
> 
> This author responds to all comments! Feel free to talk to me directly on Tumblr (hard-noct-life) and Twitter (@HardNoctLife)
> 
> Art by AceFlorins (@aceflorins, Tumblr/Twitter)


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